Supports for a nestable pallet



Oct. 4, 1966 A. J. SCARAMUZZI 3,276,808

SUPPORTS FOR A NESTABLE PALLET Filed Aug. 18, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 4, 1966 A. J; SCARAMUZZI SUPPORTS FOR A NESTABLE PALLET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 18, 1964 /5. lwwe f United States Patent SUPPORTS FOR A NESTABLE PALLET Anthony J. Scaramuzzi, 461 Oakland Ave., Staten Island, N.Y.

Filed Aug. 18,1964, Ser. No. 390,490 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-67) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to nestable pallets. More particularly, this invention relates to a cup-like ground sup- 'port for a nestable pallet.

The conventional pressed steel pallet with nestable cups has no provision for use with hoisting slings such as the bar or cable type. To adapt such pallets for a conveyance between a supply station on shore and a shipboard delivery station, nets have to be utilized throughout the entire operation. This requires that the pallet be physically placed on the net, the not closed around the load and secured in some way to the lift of a crane. After conveyance is complete, the net must 'be disengaged from the crane, and the pallet must be removed from the net prior to stacking and storing.

As is apparent from the foregoing, an excessive amount of time is wasted in adapting a conventional nestable pallet with the means necessary to convey it from a supply station on shore to a shipboard delivery station. A need has long existed in the art for means which would allow the use of conventional but time-saving conveyance means such as hoisting slings and procedures in such operations in connection with nestable pallets.

This invention is unique in that it answers this long-felt need by providing a nestable pallet with novel cup-like ground supports so that such pallet may be adapted with various types of conveyance means in a speedy and effective manner resulting in a substantial saving in man-hours and being an operational improvement over the art.

It is an object of this invention to provide a nestable pallet with means for separable engagement with conveyance slings in a speedy and effective manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide nestable pallets with novel ground supports adapted for separable engagement with hoisting slings.

A further object is to provide novel ground supports for nestable pallets.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention Will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a ground support for a nestable pallet.

FIG. 2 is a side view of another variation of the ground support.

FIG. 3 is a view of a nestable pallet provided with novel ground supports separately engaged with a conventional hoisting sling.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ground support for the nestable pallet consists in a cup-like body configuration 11 having a bottom surface provided with an upwardly impressed or indented groove or channel 12. The latter are used for separable engagement with a hoisting sling of the bar or cable type. Note that the channel or groove is provided with a fiat bed 13 bounded by downwardly depending walls 14 and 15, one of which is smaller in length or shorter than the other so as to provide access to the bed of the channel for the hoisting sling. This type 3,276,808 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 support is best suited for the square bar of a conventional hoisting sling.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second variation of a ground support for a nestable pallet which fulfills all the requisites of this invention as heretofore set forth. This type support is best suited foruse with the round bar of a conventional hoisting sling.

In FIG. 3, a nestable pallet 20 is shown being conveyed by a hoisting sling 21 of the bar type. As shown, the nether face 22 of the deck member as opposed to the load supporting face 23 is clearly in view. Note that a plurality of integral elongated cup-like ground support members 11 are depending from the nether face of the pallet in a conventional arrangement. These ground support or leg members 11 are spaced in order to permit entry of the forks of a lift truck both lengthwise and transversely to the nether face of the pallet when grounded. Thus when the forks of the lift truck are brought into engagement with the nether face of the ground pallet, the pallet with load may be simply lifted and transported where desired.

Each of the cup-like ground support members is frustum shaped or tapered for nesting engagement with a like member of a similar pallet. The bottom surface of each of the support members proximate the lengthwise edges of the pallet being provided with an upwardly impressed flat bedded channel, the common walls of which are shorter proximate the edges of the pallet for access and separable engagement of a hoisting sling against the nether face of the deck members :as shown.

In preparing for conveyance, the pallet, provided With the present type cups as ground supports, is placed in position and loaded. At this time, conventional bar or cable slings are slid under the lengthwise edges of the pallet, past the outer walls 15 of each of the cups, into the area defined by the individual channel 12. The inner walls 14 of each of the channels will prevent further inward movement of the sling and, upon taking up of the slack in the hoist, the slings will be self seating in the channels 12 on either side of the pallet.

As shown in FIG. 3, the slings are firmly seated in place in the channels 12 of each of the cups as the pallet is hoisted into space.

When conveyance is complete, the pallet is lowered to the delivery station and the tension on the sling is re laxed 'by the hoist. At this point, the slings will drop to the ground from their seated positions in each of the channels 12 and may be easily slid past the outer wall 15 of the channel because of its size.

As is apparent from the foregoing, ground supports of the present type make pick-up of the conventional nesting type pallet possible with conventional slings without the special rigging which is normally required in operations of this type.

Obviously, there are many modifications and varia tions which are possible in view of the above teaching. The conventional pressed steel pallet may be conveniently made with the present type ground support integral the deck member, with only minor modification of the manufacturing process. In the alternative, the individual ground supports may be manufactured as separate units and assembled with any convenient type pallet base to give a slingable pallet in a minimum amount of time. In either case, the nestability of the pallet is maintained due to the design of the present type ground support as against old style designs and methods in which the pallet lost its nestability when modified for bar sling attachment. It is therefore to be understood that these modifications and variations are to be included within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a nestable pallet,

a platform,

' support means depending from said platform,

said support means comprising a plurality of mutually spaced apart hollow frustum shaped cup members,

each member having an opening at the enlarged top end corresponding to an opening in the platform, and a closed bottom wall, the bottom wall of each member having a downwardly facing channel with outwardly flaring side walls, one of which is shorter than the other, selected members adjacent the edges of said pallet being aligned to receive a hoisting sling element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

